Topline
Emergency crews are responding after a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after taking off from California’s Edwards Air Force Base on Monday morning, the base said in an alert.
A file photo of a U.S. Air Force B-52G Stratofortress bomber.
Getty Images
Key Facts
The crash happened shortly after the bomber took off around 11:20 a.m. local time, the base said.
The base gave few other details about the crash in its initial alert posted on social media, but said “emergency crews” were on the scene at the military air field.
Photos and footage published by CNN and others shared on social media appear to show a black plume of smoke rising from the air base situated in Kern County and San Bernardino County.
It is unclear whether there were any injuries or fatalities at this point in time.
Edwards Air Force Base did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Key Background
The B-52 is a long range bomber developed by Boeing that can carry conventional weapons or nuclear weapons. The aircraft was developed shortly after World War II, and the Air Force has been using them since the 1960s. A total of 58 aircraft are currently in active use and the military expects to keep using these bombers through 2050, according to an Air Force fact sheet.